Ornament

Pronunciation

Origin

From Middle English ornament, from Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum ("equipment, apparatus, furniture, trappings, adornment, embellishment"), from ornare ("to equip, adorn").

Full definition of ornament

Noun

1. (element of decoration) An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns.
• TennysonLike that long-buried body of the king
  Found lying with his urns and ornaments.
• 1919: P. G. Wodehouse, I'm a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use.
• 2012-03, w, Pixels or Perish, Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story.
1. A Christmas tree decoration.
2. (music) A musical flourish that is unnecessary to the overall melodic or harmonic line, but serves to decorate or "ornament" that line.

Related terms

• ornate
• ornamental
• ornamentation

Verb

1. (to decorate) To decorate.We will ornament the windows with trim to make the room seem brighter.
2. (to add to) To add to.The editor ornamented his plain writing, making it fancier but less clear.